Parkinson’s Tech: How Apps Like TurnTo Are Empowering Patients

Recently, I had the privilege of sitting down with Jessica Dove London, the founder and CEO of the Turnoto Group. They’ve just launched an evolution of their product—something I think is truly game-changing for people living with serious illnesses, including Parkinson’s.

This wasn’t just another product pitch. It was a deeply personal conversation about why Jessica started Turnto, how the TurnTo app works, and what their ultimate dream is for democratizing health breakthroughs.

I’m excited to share this story with you because so many of you write to me saying:

“My doctor only gives me a few limited options. Nothing is working. What can I do now?”

If you’ve ever felt stuck in that situation, Jessica’s story will resonate.

From Personal Crisis to Health Tech Innovation

When Jessica introduces herself, she doesn’t start with corporate jargon. She begins with her family. She’s a mother of twin boys, one of whom has a form of cerebral palsy similar to Parkinson’s.

She recounts sitting in a doctor’s office, clutching a thick wad of research papers she’d printed out, only to hear:

“There’s nothing you can do to help him. Don’t even bother reading all that research.”

But Jessica looked at her son—this “ball of life” who had already overcome so much—and said to herself, “Whatever. He’s amazing. We’re going to try everything we can.”

That moment set her on a multi-year journey of combing through medical papers, following obscure Reddit threads, and digging into Facebook groups to unearth treatments—most of which already existed in the literature but were scattered, hidden, and hard to interpret.

Later, when friends of hers were diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and multiple sclerosis, she saw the same problem repeating. People were desperately trying to find the best, most cutting-edge things—lifestyle changes, medical interventions, anything—but it all felt like a lottery.

That’s when she realized: this is not just her family’s problem. It’s a huge, global problem. And she decided to build something to solve it.

The Birth of Turn To: Harnessing AI for Patients

Jessica initially secured a research grant to explore how AI could help. She brought on an AI engineer and began experimenting with ways to pull together fragmented health knowledge.

What started as a grant project turned into a startup—Turnoto Group—with a mission to “speed up health breakthroughs for every person.”

Their first major product was the Turn To app, a free community platform where people share their stories, treatments, and discoveries. According to Jessica, four out of five users report finding a new treatment or “breakthrough health information” through the app.

This “breakthrough” might be a medication. But it might also be something more practical—like a new product or technique that improves daily life with a disability.

Even more striking, 66% of users have changed or started something new after using Turn To.

How? Because Turn To blends three streams of knowledge:

• Research (published studies, emerging science)

• Experts (clinicians, specialists, researchers)

• Patients (people living it day-to-day)

  
  

Jessica believes the answer doesn’t sit in any one of these silos. It emerges when all three are brought together.

Why This Matters for Parkinson’s

As someone living with Parkinson’s, I see Jessica’s story every day on my channel. People come to me saying their doctor gave them a short list of options, nothing is working, and they’re out of hope.

Scrolling through Turn To’s website, I was struck by their stat: four out of five people using the app have discovered a new treatment for themselves. That’s huge.

And the secret sauce isn’t just AI. It’s the database of human experience Turn To is building—a living, growing record of how real people respond to real interventions.

When you Google a treatment, you might find articles and studies. But you rarely see:

• How many people actually tried it.

• What their lived experience was.

• Whether it helped them or not.

Turn To captures that, de-identifies it, and loops it back to the community. That’s powerful.

Building a Global, Low-Cost AI Health Tool

Jessica’s ultimate dream?To give everyday people—no matter where they live—fast access to cutting-edge breakthroughs, whether they’re free or paid, medical or lifestyle.

She shared an example from her own journey: a motor control training technique for cerebral palsy that was literally free but life-changing. She learned about it years ago after relentless searching. Her dream is for someone living in a remote community to find that kind of treatment tomorrow, not years later, without luck or privilege.

Turnoto’s latest product takes this a step further. Every week, their AI bot scans a million words across the internet and surfaces 12 relevant items for you where you live.

Already, users are asking for audio versions so they can listen instead of reading. Next week, Jessica’s team will ship a new version to make that happen.

For Jessica, this speed of iteration—listening to feedback and rapidly improving—is the fun part. “We’re building things really fast,” she says.

The Secret Ingredient: Lived Experience

Jessica is passionate about capturing “lived experience” because she’s seen how much it’s helped her own family.

Yet, she acknowledges the tension. Many researchers and organizations dismiss anecdotal data because it’s not randomized, not validated. But what if 300 people are reporting the same result? Shouldn’t we at least be curious?

Turn To is designed to balance curiosity with responsibility—de-identifying data, sharing general learnings back to the community, and making it easier to see what might work for a subset of people like you.

That’s something Facebook groups and Reddit threads can’t do. Posts get lost. People don’t log in at the right time. Stories vanish.

TurnTo is like having an AI-powered, community-driven research assistant who never forgets and keeps track of emerging insights.

A Founder Who Walks the Talk

One thing that struck me about Jessica is her humility. When I asked her what it’s like to see her dream becoming reality, she said:

“I feel like I’m just at the beginning.”

She loves building things but sees it as a privilege. She wants her children to see what it’s like to imagine something and take the risk to build it.

She also gives credit to her team—people she says are “all better than me”—who can build AI tools quickly and reliably.

And she’s grateful for the support of high-profile backers, including the founders of Canva, Google Maps, Xero, and AfterWork. But she’s honest: the road to get there was filled with rejection.

Starting a health-tech AI company is not for the faint of heart. You have to keep putting yourself out there, facing cutthroat investors, and refining your pitch. But now she’s working with people who’ve built world-changing products and believe in solving this problem.

Breaking Bias and Building Impact

Jessica also spoke about the unique challenges female founders face in tech. Studies show they’re asked more risk-focused questions compared to their male counterparts, who get ambition-focused questions.

But she doesn’t dwell on it. Her focus is on building something people actually find useful and then creating a strong business around it.

She points to role models like the female co-founder of Canva—someone who has built a massive company ethically, despite the culture of tech being historically male-dominated.

Giving Back to the Community

One of the things I admire most is how Turnto ensures that when people share their data, they get something back.

Too often in research, you fill out surveys or participate in a study and never hear the results. Jessica’s team is trying to close that loop so contributors also benefit from the collective knowledge they’re helping to create.

It’s about respecting the time, trust, and effort of patients and caregivers.

Final Thoughts

When I asked Jessica what she wanted to say to viewers with Parkinson’s, her message was simple but hopeful:

“There’s never been a better time to get great information and hope—even if you don’t have a great medical team.”

She doesn’t have direct experience with Parkinson’s herself, but she’s lived something similar with her son. She understands how hard the journey is.

And she wants you to know: there are scholarships for people who can’t afford Turnoto’s low-cost AI tools. They’re building these products to do the hard work for you, to save you time, and to speed up breakthroughs.

Most of all, they want feedback. They’re listening.

I’m grateful to Jessica Dove London for sharing her story with Life with Parkinson’s and for building tools that can empower patients and caregivers worldwide.

TurnTo: Your AI-Powered Research Companion

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent hours searching online for answers—scrolling through forums, reading articles, trying to separate fact from fiction. It’s exhausting. The internet is overflowing with information, but so much of it is outdated, biased, or just plain wrong. And even when you do find something that looks promising, how can you tell how many other people have tried it or whether it actually worked for them?

That’s where TurnTo comes in. They’ve built something I wish I had years ago — an AI-powered research assistant called Turny. Think of Turny as your personal guide through the noise. It filters out the misinformation, organizes what’s real and relevant, and tailors it to your specific needs.

For just $2 USD a week, you get peace of mind knowing your personal research is backed by credible, vetted insights — and you’ll finally see what’s working for people in situations just like yours.

Spotlight: Turnto – Your Personal Research Assistant

How many of you are tired of spending hours digging through endless search results, only to end up with unreliable or conflicting information? With so much misinformation online, finding clear, trustworthy answers can feel overwhelming — and you’re not alone.

That’s where Turnto comes in. This powerful platform makes personal research faster, simpler, and far more reliable by delivering accurate, vetted information tailored to your needs. No more second-guessing or endless scrolling — just answers you can trust.

💡 Exclusive Offer for Our Readers:

Get 10% off your subscription when you sign up through our special link here.

A Note from Me

I want to take a moment to thank you for reading. Writing about my life with Parkinson’s isn’t always easy. It means revisiting moments of fear, frustration, and vulnerability. But it also helps me process, heal, and hopefully offer something useful to someone out there who’s going through a similar struggle.

If my words resonate with you, know that you’re not alone. There’s still hope, there’s still love, and there’s still a way forward — even when things feel heavy.

Caregiver’s Corner

If you’re a caregiver reading this, I see you. I know it’s not easy to love and care for someone whose health keeps shifting beneath their feet. It can be exhausting, isolating, and thankless at times. But your role is vital — and your patience, compassion, and persistence make a world of difference.

Please remember to take care of yourself too. Support groups, online forums, and simple self-care practices can help you recharge and stay resilient. Caregiving is an act of love, but it should never cost you your own well-being.

Medical Disclaimer

I’m not a doctor. Everything I share here comes from my personal experience living with Parkinson’s and what has helped me personally. None of it should be taken as medical advice or a substitute for guidance from qualified health professionals.

Always consult your physician or healthcare provider before making decisions about your health, treatments, or lifestyle changes.